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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ball — a great time
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bat — the animal
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. craft — boats
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com